The Best Beaches in Santorini

If you’re planning to visit Santorini Greece, the chances are it’s the famous Santorini caldera that has tempted you there. It’s what Santorini island is best known for: classic Santorini sunsets, white churches, blue domes, islands silhouetted on the horizon.

The caldera of Santorini is absolutely unmissable. But we found many other things to do in Santorini during our recent visit, especially exploring the numerous Santorini beaches around the coast.

The Volcano Tavern is one of many on the strip running along Perissa beach

The best beaches in Santorini are spectacular, made up
mainly from black sand and pebbles. You won’t find miles of golden sands like
many of the best beaches in Greece. The beaches on Santorini have more of a
dramatic kind of beauty, the vivid volcanic cliffs coming in shades of red,
black white and more.

Our guide to the best Santorini beaches takes you all around
the coast, including to the one elusive caldera beach. Some of them may even make
great bases for your Santorini holidays.

OUR PICK OF THE BEST BEACHES IN SANTORINI FOR FAMILIES AND FACILITIES – PERISSA BEACH

Perissa beach is at the foot of an impressive cliff

Perissa is probably the best-known black sand beach Santorini has. If you’re happy staying away from the caldera, Perissa is also one of the best places in Santorini to stay. It also has the widest choice of Santorini hotels outside the caldera villages. The Fira to Perissa bus service is one of the most frequent on the island, so it’s easy to reach.

Perissa beach Santorini is the most ‘organised’ beach on the
island, with a good selection of bars, cafes and restaurants along the strip. Each
of these runs an adjacent section of the beach. If you order drinks or food,
you can use the umbrellas and sun loungers free of charge. Otherwise you pay a
flat fee of 15 euros for the day. There are also sections of free public beach between
some of the paid sections.

The setting of Perissa beach is beautiful. It’s on a flat
section of land with a dramatic cliff at the northern end, rearing out of the
sea. If you like your beaches fairly busy, it’s well worth including in your
Santorini trip.

The black sand Santorini beaches are composed of gets incredibly
hot, so bring some footwear to walk around the beach.

PERIVOLOS BEACH

Perivolos Beach is the southern continuation of Perissa
beach. Like Perissa, it’s one of the best Santorini beach resorts, with a
laid-back vibe and plenty of bars, restaurants and beach umbrellas to choose
from.

We visited in summer, and it wasn’t quite as busy as Perissa.
As well as soaking up the sun, sipping on cocktails or supping on a cold Mythos
beer, there are some more strenuous Santorini activities on here. You can jet
ski Santorini waters – a great way to get a different view of the Santorini
coast.

OUR PICK OF THE BEST SANTORINI BEACHES FOR SCENERY – RED BEACH SANTORINI

People bathing on Red Beach on Santorini

Apart from the caldera, one of the most popular Santorini
attractions is the Akrotiri Red Beach on the south of the island.

It’s the most beautiful beach in Santorini, with much of the
appeal the contrast between the red sand and cliffs and the clear turquoise
sea.

The beach is easy to reach, with regular buses from Fira
stopping at Akrotiri beach, a ten-minute walk away.

The one drawback is that the beach is prone to landslips.
Nobody has been hurt – yet. We go into a lot more detail on the safety of the
beach in our article on Red Beach Santorini here. I opted not
to visit the beach itself, preferring to enjoy one of the best views in
Santorini from the cliff path instead.

BLACK BEACH SANTORINI

Houses built into the cliffs on Black Beach

All the beaches on Santorini have black (some would say
pencil grey) sand, and this remote beach has long been named after the colour
of its sand.

Mesa
Pigadia beach is a few kilometres west of Akrotiri, on the south coast of
the peninsula. It’s one of our favourite things to see in Santorini, but one of
the hardest to reach. Only four buses a day pass nearby, and even then, there’s
a 1 km walk down a dirt road to the beach.

All this combines to make this one of the best places to get
away from the crowds in Santorini. There’s a taverna on the beach, a dozen or
so umbrellas and sunbeds for hire, and a restaurant on the hill above. A
dramatic white cliff dominates one end of the beach. Just beyond this is White
Beach Santorini, which is only accessible by boat.

CALDERA BEACH SANTORINI

Santorini Caldera Beach also serves as a small harbour

Every beach we’ve mentioned so far is either on the south or
east coast of Santorini. The topography of the caldera isn’t conducive to the
formation of beaches, but there is one – Caldera Beach –
you can reach.

It’s below Akrotiri, one of the main Santorini villages,
down a steep road with two tight hairpin bends. The final stretch reveals a
classic Santorini caldera view, sweeping north past Megalochori and Fira to Oia
in the distant north of the island.

There’s a stretch of 150-200 metres of black sand and
pebbles, and another area that serves as a small harbour. The water is
crystal-clear, and Caldera Beach is on e of the best places for snorkelling in
Santorini. Unsurprisingly, Santorini Dive Centre are also based here.

VLYCHADA BEACH SANTORINI

Sun shades and the splendour of Vlychada Beach

If you love beaches, one of the best things to do in Santorini is to visit Vlychada – sometimes spelt Vlichada – beach.

It’s situated in the south of the island, at the end of a
long sweep of black sand, backed by a line of spectacular cliffs. The rocks
have been weathered and contorted into some fantastic formations. It’s a true
Santorini must see, and on balance, possibly all round the best Santorini
beach.

Vlychada is just about off the beaten path Santorini. The beach has just one café bar, nestled into
the corner beneath the cliff. There are two paid sections, with acres of free
sand to roam and set up wherever you wish, all with the amazing rocky backdrop.
There’s also a picturesque fishing harbour at the eastern end of the beach, and
a former tomato canning factory that’s now the Tomato Industrial Museum. There
are also a couple of clifftop tavernas selling fresh seafood caught by the
boats directly below. One of the top beaches in Santorini, for sure.

AKROTIRI BEACH SANTORINI

Akrotiri Beach and its tavernas

Akrotiri beach doesn’t feature in many a Santorini guide. It’s
a mile or so (2 km) south of Akrotiri village, on the south coast of the
island. It’s 100 metres down the hill from the Akrotiri prehistoric village
site, and barely a five-minute walk from Red Beach.

Akrotiri beach tends to get overlooked because most visitors
there have come to see Red Beach. The buses for Red Beach terminate at the
roundabout right next to Akrotiri beach, and the passengers tend to head straight
there.

You could never claim that Akrotiri beach is the best beach
in Santorini, but it does get overlooked more than it should. It’s like most
other Santorini black sand beaches, a mixture of sand, pebbles and rocks. It
also has a great selection of tavernas above the beach, including Dolphin
taverna, which also cater for visitors to Red Beach.

David Angel is a British writer and photographer who has been travelling and photographing the world for over 25 years. His work is regularly featured in worldwide media including the BBC, the Guardian, the Times and the Sunday Times. His images are frequently used throughout the world by tourism bodies such as Visit Britain and Visit Wales.